3 month old tank, got some questions, lots of pics

[slate]

Hello everyone! I'm a new member but have been browsing the forums for awhile. I set up my tank about 3 months ago and have been adding plants since.



Tank Specs:
20 gallon tall
Eheim 2217 canister filter
Finnex 24/7 Planted+ 24"

There are a few guppies, a betta, flying fox, SAEs, plecos, tetras, amano shrimps and all types of snails (mystery, nerite, assassin, ramhorn, MTS, bladder).

Lots of different plants in the tank. I'm pretty much just putting random stuff in and seeing how it fares. I'm doing with Flourish Excel a few days a week, micro nutrients a few days a week and macro nutrients once a week. I also put in fert tabs in the substrate.

Here are all the plants that are in the tank right now with the issues I'm seeing:
Dwarf Sagittaria - not seeing any growth since planting 3 months ago; just staying the same size.
Egeria Densa - I saw an initial spike in growth 3 months ago and then it slowed down almost to a halt.
Water Wisteria - This one was a decent size but completely melted away.
Hornwort (Ceratophyllaceae) - This one grows very quick and dense.
Rotala Roundfolia pink - Not seeing much growth in this one since planting (3 months ago).
Java Moss - Growing nicely on the driftwood.
Hygro Corymbosa - growing very well.
Jungle Val - I put these in the back of the tank expecting them to grow large but they have stayed stagnent since I put them in (2 months ago).
Java Fern - These were already brown and damaged when I got them. I put them on drift wood but they don't seem to be growing or changing at all (2 months ago).
Amazon Sword - didn't grow initially but after putting a fert tab below it, it grew very quickly
Cryptocoryne wendtii "brown" - growing very well since adding the substrate fert tabs below them.
Anubias Barteri - only a few weeks old, looks to be doing ok.
Anubias (unknown type) - seems more hardy then the other anubias but not really growing at all.

Some pics below regarding a few other issues:

Unknown Anubias - can anyone identify this?


Weird white dots on the driftwood - I'm not sure what this is (its on all the wood and glass)


Hygro Corymbosa roots shooting from main stem - is this normal? The Egeria Densa was doing the same thing.


The Java Fern on the driftwood - looking damaged and not growing or dying...just staying the same since day 1.


Rotala Roundfolia pink growing very slowly and only vertically (I thought it would grow outwards at least a little)


Something has been eating the leave on the Hygro Corymbosa (probably the mystery snails??)


Dwarf Sagittaria hasn't grown at all in 3 months

 

[Autumnsky]

Nice to have you here. You DO have lots of questions!

Congrats on having all the plants living and seeminly doing okay, even though not having much growth in some.

Your planted tank looks very nice.

The little dots all over the glass and wood are from the Nerite snails, they won't hatch, you can scrape them off if you want.

Anubias will grow but it seems painfully slow

Does the one with the narrow pointed leaves have spots or is that dust or algae? It looks like A. Hastifolia 'Arrowhead'.

"Hygro Corymbosa roots shooting from main stem" - great place to pinch right before the majority of roots, pinch lower couple of leaves and replant into the substrate.

The egeria go that as an anchor to the substrate - they get crazy long and floot at the top. You can pinch that off and replant but it will block your lighting eventually.

Java Fern like a little bit of a area in the tank that doesn't get TOO much very bright light. They will likely start forming tiny plantlets on the edges of the brown spots.

Are you feeding the Mystery snails anything special? They Love Hikari sinking wafers and also Crab Cuisine which has minerals for shell growth.

Rotala Roundfolia - I think I would trim half of the stems down to a few inches and replant spacing about 1 inch apart. They seem like they might need more light.

Also if they are still tied together with a weight or something take it off and plant each stem at least .5" apart because they can't grow very well clumped together.

You might try half of the trimmed and half already rooted in a brighter spot and leave the other half where they are and see if there are noticible changes

Dwarf Sag shouldn't get more that 3-4" but it should start growing new runners any time.

There is a bit of an adjustment time and then they start going pretty good. You can move the runners by scooting them over or pinc in the root and replace into the substrate.

 

[Caliban07]

You need more carbon and good flow.

Dose excel daily and watch for new growth.

The alternative to adding carbon would be reduce light intensity and limit lighting to 8 hours daily.

What's you lighting currently and schedule?


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[slate]

Nice to have you here. You DO have lots of questions!

Congrats on having all the plants living and seeminly doing okay, even though not having much growth in some.

Your planted tank looks very nice.

The little dots all over the glass and wood are from the Nerite snails, they won't hatch, you can scrape them off if you want.

Anubias will grow but it seems painfully slow

Does the one with the narrow pointed leaves have spots or is that dust or algae? It looks like A. Hastifolia 'Arrowhead'.

"Hygro Corymbosa roots shooting from main stem" - great place to pinch right before the majority of roots, pinch lower couple of leaves and replant into the substrate.

The egeria go that as an anchor to the substrate - they get crazy long and floot at the top. You can pinch that off and replant but it will block your lighting eventually.

Java Fern like a little bit of a area in the tank that doesn't get TOO much very bright light. They will likely start forming tiny plantlets on the edges of the brown spots.

Are you feeding the Mystery snails anything special? They Love Hikari sinking wafers and also Crab Cuisine which has minerals for shell growth.

Rotala Roundfolia - I think I would trim half of the stems down to a few inches and replant spacing about 1 inch apart. They seem like they might need more light.

Also if they are still tied together with a weight or something take it off and plant each stem at least .5" apart because they can't grow very well clumped together.

You might try half of the trimmed and half already rooted in a brighter spot and leave the other half where they are and see if there are noticible changes

Dwarf Sag shouldn't get more that 3-4" but it should start growing new runners any time.

There is a bit of an adjustment time and then they start going pretty good. You can move the runners by scooting them over or pinc in the root and replace into the substrate.

Thanks for all the input!!!!!

I'm going to cut and replant the hygro during the next water change and use the roots as anchors.

I guess I should move the java fern into a high light area?

I've been feeding the snails the hikari wafers and zucchini and they seem to love it! In fact one the the mystery snails laid a egg clutch!

I'm going to trim the rotala and move them more toward the center to get more light.

I've read that the dwarf sag is a high light plant so might just give it away.

You need more carbon and good flow.

Dose excel daily and watch for new growth.

The alternative to adding carbon would be reduce light intensity and limit lighting to 8 hours daily.

What's you lighting currently and schedule?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

I've actually reduced the dosage frequency of excel to see if will the vals will start to grow. As for lighting, typically have it on for 5-6 hours per day.

 

[Caliban07]

Thanks for all the input!!!!!



I'm going to cut and replant the hygro during the next water change and use the roots as anchors.



I guess I should move the java fern into a high light area?



I've been feeding the snails the hikari wafers and zucchini and they seem to love it! In fact one the the mystery snails laid a egg clutch!



I'm going to trim the rotala and move them more toward the center to get more light.



I've read that the dwarf sag is a high light plant so might just give it away.







I've actually reduced the dosage frequency of excel to see if will the vals will start to grow. As for lighting, typically have it on for 5-6 hours per day.

Plants need a steady and consistent source of carbon to be available as soon as lights come on otherwise they are forever trying to adapt their mechanisms to facilitate the amount of carbon they can access.

Personally I would remove the vals because the other plants are suffering at their expense. Vals are perfect for low light tanks with no carbon. Perhaps you could try them again in the future?

You really have to make sure the carbon is a) ample b) consistent and c) accessible which is made easier via good flow.


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[Sk3lly]

Plants need a steady and consistent source of carbon to be available as soon as lights come on otherwise they are forever trying to adapt their mechanisms to facilitate the amount of carbon they can access.

Personally I would remove the vals because the other plants are suffering at their expense. Vals are perfect for low light tanks with no carbon. Perhaps you could try them again in the future?

You really have to make sure the carbon is a) ample b) consistent and c) accessible which is made easier via good flow.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

Majority of the OPs plantlist can grow perfectly fine in 'low light tanks without carbon'


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[Caliban07]

Majority of the OPs plantlist can grow perfectly fine in 'low light tanks without carbon'


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Majority of OPs reported plant symptoms are carbon related deficiencies. No growth, melting etc

100% certain they will recover with carbon fertilisation.


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[Caliban07]

Op this is what happens when you put a wide range of low light plants in a tank with no carbon

The val outcompeted everything and took over the tank. Only a couple of plants remained. Anubis and a crypt.

Algae took over.

I spent fortunes replanting this tank.



Over and over. Increased the light.



I replanted again and added carbon 4ml easy carbo a day.



Notice that little hygro polysperma in the centre of the tank? I rescued that from another tank with no carbon.



This is after using carbon.

Tomorrow I will be injecting.

Plants can do well in 'low light tanks with no carbon' I have been an advocate of the Walstad methodology for a long time. But the results are extremely subjective and depend on many things which ultimately all reflect the ability of the plants to obtain carbon.

Lighting
Depth
Flow
Species
Mass
Source water

You can get all these things right but it's not easy unless you pay attention to each of them carefully.



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[Sk3lly]

Low light CAN be done successfully without carbon. If you failed with it Caliban then it does not mean its not possible.

Yes carbon greatly influences a plants growth rate and health but it is not always the answer to everything in planted tanks


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[Caliban07]

Low light CAN be done successfully without carbon. If you failed with it Caliban then it does not mean its not possible.

Yes carbon greatly influences a plants growth rate and health but it is not always the answer to everything in planted tanks


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Yeah think I did mention this in my last post. It definitely can be done. In this particular case, I'm not sure what the point is in ignoring what some of the plants are telling us.

The usual suspects are doing well as you would expect. Swords, crypts Anubis etc.

When a plant doesn't grow its because it is photo respiring which IS carbon related.


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